Well yesterday started brilliantly with my nice cooked breakfast in the Brynamman Community Centre but went downhill from there. I aimed to stay in the Llanddeusant Youth Hostel, I'd had two nights camping, in freezing or near zero conditions, it was time for a bed. I'd have to push it a bit but I could do it I reckoned. Fifteen miles is a bit more than I can usually manage, throbbing foot pain usually setting in after about 13 miles but the thought of a bed and a shower drove me to try it. It was a solid tarmac trudge up and over the Black Mountain pass, seeing as I was missing the map which would allow me to cross the mountain itself. After the cooked breakfast distraction I set off, leaving the centre at about 11.30. It was a tough day, I kept pushing and pushing onwards, up into the clouds and down around the bends of the mountain road into the wet farmlands on the other side. I kept checking my maps, 7 miles to go and it was 3pm, two hours until sunset. My feet started to seriously hurt at one point, I had to sit down and take my boots off, the wet concrete soaking my legs. Adrenalin kicked in and I strode on, still a few miles to go as darkness fell but I strapped my torch into my belt and carried on, willing myself towards the bed waiting for me. Pitch black for the last hour and I was sweating up the last steep hill, pushing myself forward. I found myself focusing on a light ahead in the darkness and chanting to myself in a whisper "That. Is where. I'm going." over and over again, I was on auto pilot, just keeping myself going until I could reach the hostel and relax. Seven hours of near constant walking, fighting foot pain, just keeping myself going and going.
I reached the hostel. It was closed.
The doors locked, the lights off, just a single light on in a bedroom above the central door. Oh no way. I rattled the doors, I knocked, I chucked gravel up at the lit window, I shouted out. Nothing.
@#!&@!##$$!
I looked at my phone, 4% battery. I still had the webpage for the hostel open.
"Is the hostel open all year? Yes" it said. I rang the number it gave, it was diverted to another hostel, and went to answermachine. I rang three more times, battery 1%, phone went dead.
Oh God dammit, I was going to have to sleep in the wet tent again. It's a great tent, except for one problem. In the mornings, there is condensation inside and outside, so when I put the tent down, it all soaks together and everything gets wet. All day, rolled up and strapped to my rucksack and I put up a wet tent to sleep in. Third day running and I felt fed up. It's not so bad, as long as you don't touch the sides.
It took a good hour for my feet to stop throbbing, in all the many ways in which they do. In the bones, in the ankles, in the tendons underneath. I rubbed them and stretched and rubbed them and stretched until finally they felt better. I'd gone too far and, in the end, for nothing.
I got up this morning feeling rubbish, grumpy about the hostel and my feet sending stabs of pain into my ankles. Too far yesterday means I need to take it easy today, it's a precarious balance, if I push myself too hard I'll have to stop, I can feel that my feet can't take it. I walked until Myddfai where I found a visitor centre with lots of polite and interested people who donated loads of money - that made me feel better. They also mentioned a bunkhouse in Llandovery, I felt like I was owed a bed. Bish bash bosh, I made it to The Level Crossing Bunkhouse and stopped. So it's been a kind of half day, even though I walked 8 miles. But I think I needed it.
It's another 30+ miles over the green desert, through the Elan Valley and around the reservoirs to Elan Village, my next chance of a shower.
In order to balance out the grumpy hostel complaining I will also mention four beautiful things I saw today -
1.
The early morning fog lying low in the valleys down the hill from the hostel.
2.
The sun suddenly shining over the hill as I sat outside the Red Kite Pub eating breakfast, lighting the remaining leaves on the trees with a pure yellow light.
3.
Pausing my stride as I came down the hill into a silent, peaceful wooded valley and seeing a heron glide below me around the curve of a small river.
4.
Helping tired, stranded worms to cross safely to the other side of the road.
I reached the hostel. It was closed.
The doors locked, the lights off, just a single light on in a bedroom above the central door. Oh no way. I rattled the doors, I knocked, I chucked gravel up at the lit window, I shouted out. Nothing.
@#!&@!##$$!
I looked at my phone, 4% battery. I still had the webpage for the hostel open.
"Is the hostel open all year? Yes" it said. I rang the number it gave, it was diverted to another hostel, and went to answermachine. I rang three more times, battery 1%, phone went dead.
Oh God dammit, I was going to have to sleep in the wet tent again. It's a great tent, except for one problem. In the mornings, there is condensation inside and outside, so when I put the tent down, it all soaks together and everything gets wet. All day, rolled up and strapped to my rucksack and I put up a wet tent to sleep in. Third day running and I felt fed up. It's not so bad, as long as you don't touch the sides.
It took a good hour for my feet to stop throbbing, in all the many ways in which they do. In the bones, in the ankles, in the tendons underneath. I rubbed them and stretched and rubbed them and stretched until finally they felt better. I'd gone too far and, in the end, for nothing.
I got up this morning feeling rubbish, grumpy about the hostel and my feet sending stabs of pain into my ankles. Too far yesterday means I need to take it easy today, it's a precarious balance, if I push myself too hard I'll have to stop, I can feel that my feet can't take it. I walked until Myddfai where I found a visitor centre with lots of polite and interested people who donated loads of money - that made me feel better. They also mentioned a bunkhouse in Llandovery, I felt like I was owed a bed. Bish bash bosh, I made it to The Level Crossing Bunkhouse and stopped. So it's been a kind of half day, even though I walked 8 miles. But I think I needed it.
It's another 30+ miles over the green desert, through the Elan Valley and around the reservoirs to Elan Village, my next chance of a shower.
In order to balance out the grumpy hostel complaining I will also mention four beautiful things I saw today -
1.
The early morning fog lying low in the valleys down the hill from the hostel.
2.
The sun suddenly shining over the hill as I sat outside the Red Kite Pub eating breakfast, lighting the remaining leaves on the trees with a pure yellow light.
3.
Pausing my stride as I came down the hill into a silent, peaceful wooded valley and seeing a heron glide below me around the curve of a small river.
4.
Helping tired, stranded worms to cross safely to the other side of the road.
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